Needle threader



April 1 1952 R. E. GEARHART 2,591,146

` NEEDLE THREADER Filed Feb. 28, 1949 E; la

JNVENTOR,

Patented Apr. l, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT `@FFICJl'.-

enedialf. to Charles E. Hose, Kansas City, `l\.[.0., and one'half to Earl A. Hiose,` Maretta.,`Ga-.

Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in needle threaders, and has particular reference to needle threaders o the portable, hand-operated type.

The` principal object of the present invention isfthe provision of a needle threader including a pair of thin resilient bladesadapted to be extended through the eye of a needle, and to funetionnas a pair of tweezers to grip a thread and pull a loop thereof through the eye of the needle.

Another object is the provision, in a needle threaderof the class described, of means whereby,

.as the* needle is inserted into the threader, the

eye ofsaid needle is placed in alignment with the blades, `in order that the needle'may be threaded without the necessity of seeing the needle eye at any time.

A.. further object is the provision of a needle threader .adapted to thread either the ordinary hand needle ora sewing machine needle, the latter Without removing the needle from its normal position in the sewing machine.

Other objects are simplicity and economy `of construction, ease, eiliciency, and convenience of operation, and adaptability without adjustment, to `thread needles of a wide range ofvsizes.

With these objects in View, as well as other ob jects which willfappear in the course of the specircation reference will be had to the drawing, wherein:

Figure` l is a side elevation of a needle threader embodying the present invention.

Fig.` 2 is an end view of the threader shown inFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on lineIII-III of'Fig. l, with parts left in elevation.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig.` 3, showing a needle inserted in the threader preparatory to threading, with parts broken away.

Fig. 5 is a section taken en line V-V of Fig. 4, with the needle omitted.

Fig.' 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken onl'ine'VI--VI ofFig. 4, showing the method by whichV the needle is turned axially as itis inserted l inthe threader to present itseye to the threading blades.

Fig. 7 is a sectional View taken on line VII- VII of Fig. 4, with the blades extended through the needle eye and` a thread positioned therehetween.

Fig.. 8 is a View similar to Fig. '1, showing the threader in operative relationship to a sewing machine need-le, and with the blades extended to engage the eye of said needle.

` Application February 28, 1949, Serial'No. 78,716

(Cl. '223w99) Fig. 9 is a section taken on line IX-IX of Fig. 3.

Fig` i0 is a section taken online X-X of Fig. 3.

Like reference numerals apply to similar parts throughout the several views, and the numeral 2 refers to a tubular casing made of plastic, metal, wood, or other suitable material. A at cylindrical head 4, preferably made of metal, is provided with an axially extending` reduced shank 6 which is tted tightly and permanently `into the upper or forward end of casing 2. Head 4 and shank E have a cylindrical bore 8 `extending therethrough. A tube I0 is pressed tightly into bore B, said tube being disposed axially in casing 2 and having its lower, or rearward. end substantially flush with the lower end of said casing. At its upper end, tube Ill is formed to present a pair of longitudinally extending fingers i2 disposed on diametrically opposite sides of said tube. Said lingers extend substantially flush with the upper surface of head 4, and are turned inwardly at their upper ends to forni spaced apart, parallel, planar guides i4 parallel to the axis of tube lil and spaced equally on opposite sides of said axis.

Said guides are spaced apart just sumciently that a pair or blades l disposed together' may slide freely therebetween. Said blades are identical, and comprise elongated narrow strips oi spring` steel. Their width is less than the length of the shortest needle eye which it is intended to thread, and their thickness is such that when the blades are nat against each othenthey will Vpass freely through the needle eye. A blade thickness of one to one and a half thousandths of an Ainch has been found satisfactory. At their inner ends, blades I6 are nxed to the end of an operating rod I8, seid rod being carried slidably in tube l0 and projecting outwardly from the lower end thereof.. Adjacent the lower end of tube lil, rod I8. is notched as at 2l), and' a portion of the wallv of tube IB is offset inwardly to form a lug 22 projecting into said notch.` This lug prevents'rod IS from rotating'axally in tube l0, thereby Vmaintaining blades i6 in alignment with guides I6, and also provides limits for the sliding movement of the rod in the tube. At its lower end rod I8 is securely fixed in a plunger 24 which fits slidably in an enlarged axial bore 26 provided in the lower end of casing 2, and which is provided with an axial recess 2B for slidably receiving tube lll. A coil spring 30 disposed about rod I8 within recess 23 bears at one end against the bottom of said recess and at its oppositeend against the lower end oftube Hl, thereby urging plunger 24 and operating rod i8 downwardly. It will be noted in Fig. 3 that when the plunger is in its normal or downwardly extended position, the upper ends of blades Iii are disposed just beneath the upper surface of head 4.

The needle to be threaded is positioned to receive blades i6 by the following mechanism, which utilizes the fact that in virtually all needles, the eye portion thereof is slightly broadened and flattened, so that the thickness of the needle along the axis of the eye is less than the thickness across the eye. A metal plate 32 somewhat thinner than the diameter of the smallest needle to be threaded is soldered or otherwise ilxed at against the planar upper surface of head 4, and forms a part of said head. As best shown in Fig. 5, plate 32 is radially slotted at 34.

The centerline of said slot lies in the plane of blades I6 and the slot is slightly wider than the diameter of the largest needle to be threaded. Said slot extends across the center of head 4 to expose the upper end of guides I4 and blades IS.' and is taperingly reduced at its inner end as at 3E. A small upright stop 38 is provided on plate 32 at the inner end of slot 34.

A flat, substantially cylindrical cap lo is nore mally disposed at against the upper surface of plate 32. Said cap is provided with a depending ear 42 which extends into a slot 44 cut radially in head 4Y inY line with slot 34 but at the opposite side of the head, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 to 5. Cap 4l] is supported pivotally on pivot pin 45 which extends through ear 42 and head 4 at right angles to the axis of slot 34. A compression spring 4B bearing respectively at its opposite ends in suitable sockets formed in head 4 and in the lower end portion of ear 42, serves to press cap 40 rmly against plate 32. Cap 4K3 is notched inn wardly from its edge at 5l); Said notch is of suiiicient extent to uncover the inner end portion of slot 34 and stop 38, and it will be noted that wall 52 of said notch, which traverses slot 34, is disposed at right angles to said slot and as close as possible to the line of travel aof blades i5, as shown in Fig. 4. A V-groove 54 is formed across the upper surface of cap 46 in alignment with slot 34, for a purpose hereinafter appearing.

In operation, when it is desired to thread an ordinary hand needle 5S, the needle is inserted eye end first into slot 34 of plate 32. cap 40 are counterbored at the outer end of slot 34 to provide a bell mouth 58, thereby permitting Head 4 and easy insertion of the needle. Since plate 32, and

hence slot 34, is thinner than the needle, the

4 and 6, pivoting it about pin 46 against the pressure of spring 48. Then, since the needle is wider across the eye than through the eye, the resilient pressure of cap 4i) thereon will cause the needle to rotate axially until the eye (it thereof is disposedV vertically, as shown in Fig. G. When the needle reaches the inner end 0r slot 34, it will be centered transversely in the slot by the tapered portion 36 of said slot, and will be stopped thereby with the eye positioned to receive blades I 5. Stop 38 serves to prevent the needle from completely overshooting the end of notch 34 in any circumstance. It will be noted in Fig. 4 that when the needle is fully inserted, cap 4i) contacts the needle only at the lower edge of wall 52 thereof. This point of contact is designated at t2 and is quiteclose to the'needle eye. Since the ilattened portionof the needle extends substantially below the actual eye aperture 6U, wall 52 of the cap contacts said flattened portion and maintains lthe needle eye in alignment with the blades l E. The shank portion of the needle is not contacted by the cap, due to the tilting of the cap. This is an advantage since in many needles the shank is somewhat thicker than the dimension through the eye. lf the cap contacted the shank, it'would be forced out of contact with the fiattened eye portion, and the needle might then rotate.

While the above described arrangement is sufficient in most cases to position the needle eye to receive the blades IE, it has been found that certain very small needles will advance so far into tapered portion 38 of slot 34 that eye 60 thereof partially overshoots the ends of blades I6, as shown in Fig. fl. To overcome this difficulty. the tips of blades i6 are bevelled toward thebpen end of slot 34, as shown at 64. Thus when plunger 24 is pressed inwardly to advance blades it through the needle eye t6, the pointed blade tips will iirst enter the portion of the eye closest to the needle point, and bevelled edges E4 will force the needle outwardly in slot 34 until the blades enter the eye.

When blades i6 have been extended through the needle eye, the extended end portions thereof assume the shape shown in Fig. 7, being bent outwardly or divergently at 66 and being rebent slightly inwardly at their tips as at 63. l A thread lli is then laid between the widely spaced tips of the blades, as shown in Fig. 7, and plunger 24 is released, whereupon it will be forced downwardly by spring 3c. As the blades are drawn through the needle eye, the tips thereof will be brought into contact while portions 68 are still spaced apart. This prevents the thread from being crowded out between the ends of the blades. 'I'he blades have suicient rigidity so that when only a short portion thereof extends above the needle, they will function as a pair of tweezers and grip the thread therebetween with sufficient force to pull a loop thereof through the eye of the needle. When the blades are fully retracted, the needle may be turned slightly in a horizontal plane to remove it from slot 34 and bring it within notch 5l! of cap 4i). The needle is then free and may be drawn away from the threader.. thereby pulling the thread through the needle eye. When suicient thread has been pulled through'the eye of the needle, a slight pull on the thread will disengage it from the blades.

In a sewing machine the needle is held rigidly. with the eye thereof always disposed in a given line. In using the threader on sewing machine needles, therefore, ther threader is held against vthe side of the needle l2, with the casing 2 disposed in the known direction of the eye. The needle is engaged by V-groove 54 of 'cap 4i), which centers the needle transversely of the threader blades, as shown in Fig. 8. A gentle pressure may then be exerted on plunger 24until the blades contact the side of the needle. The threader is then moved longitudinally alongthe needle until the blades register with and enter the needle eye. it is not' deemed practical to provide longitudinal stops Vfor a sewing machine needle, since the distance from the needle eye to the point varies widely. However, it is quite apparent that for sewing machine needles wherein the eye-to-point distance is equal, a stop could be placed in Vgroove e4 'to position the needle eye properly with respect to the threader blades. It will be noted that a sewing machine needle'disposed in groove 54 is substantially farther away from blade guides i4 than a hand needle disposed in slot 34, and that hence the blades must extend unsupported from said guides a substantial distance before passing through the eye of the sewing machine needle. This shows clearly in Fig. 8. However, the inward bends E8 of the blades insure that the tips of the blades will be pressed firmly together by their own resiliency until they are extended suiiiciently far to enter the eye of needle 12.

While I have disclosed a specific embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that many Variations of construction and operation could be made Without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore requested that my protection extend to all subject matter properly *L falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is: 1. A needle threader comprising a head having a planar surface, a pair of elongated resilient planar blades normally disposed beneath the suri face of said head, means for extending said blades above the surface of said head,` said head having a slot formed in the surface thereof substantialiy radially related to said blades and lying in alignment with the major cross-sectional axes of said a blades above the surface of said head substanz,

tially at right angles thereto, through an orifice provided in said head, said blades being normally divergent, fixed parallel guides at said orifice for maintaining said blades together at the point of exit from said head, said head having a fiat bottomed radial slot formed in the upper surface thereof and extending across said blade orifice, said slot being disposed in alignment with the major cross-sectional axes of said blades and having taperingly convergent lateral Walls at its inner end. said slot also being wider than the diameter of the needle to 4be threaded but shallower than the diameter of said needle, a planar cap carried pivotally by said head, and resilient means urging said cap against the upper surface of said head.

3. A needle threader comprising a head having a planar upper surface, a pair of flat, elongated, resilient blades normally disposed beneath the surface of said head, means for extending said blades above the surface of said head substantially at right angles thereto, through an orifice provided in said head, said blades being normally divergent, fixed parallel guides at said orifice for maintaining said blades together at the point of exit from said head, said head having a fiat bottomed radial slot formed in the upper surface thereof communicating with said blade orifice and disposed in alignment with the major crosssectional axes of said blades, said slot being shallower than the diameter of the needle being threaded, and a planar cap normally disposed dat against the upper surface of said head, said cap being carried pivotally by said head for movement away from said head on an axis at right angles to said slot, and resilient means urging said cap against said head.

4. A needle threader comprising a head having a planar upper surface, a pair of fiat, elongated, resilient blades normally disposed beneath the surface of said head, means for extending said blades above the surface of said head substantially at right angles thereto, through an orifice provided in said head, said blades being normally divergent, fixed parallel guides at said orifice for maintaining said blades together at the point of exit from said head, said head having a flat bottomed radial slot formed in the upper surface thereof communicating with said blade orifice and disposed in alignment with the major crosssectional axes of said blades, said slot being shallower than the diameter of the needle being threaded, and a planar cap normally disposed fiat against the upper surface of said head. said cap being carried pivotally by said head for movement away from said head on an axis at right angles to said slot, said cap being notched inwardly from its edge to uncover said blade orince and the inner end portion of said slot, the

. wall of said notch which traverses said slot being disposed at right angles to said slot, and resilient means urging said cap toward said head.

5. A needle threader comprising a head having a planar upper surface, a pair of flat, elongated, resilient blades normally disposed beneath the surface of said head, means fcr'extending said blades above the surface of said head substantially at right angles thereto, through an orifice provided in said head, fixed parallel guides at said orifice for maintaining said blades together at their point of exit from said head, said blades being so formed that when extended they will diverge adjacent said guides and converge slightly at their tips, said head having a radial slot formed in the upper surface thereof communicating with said blade orifice and disposed in alignment with the major cross-sectional axes of said blades, said slot being shallower than the diameter of the needle to be threaded, and a planar cap carried movably by said head and normally disposed against the upper surface thereof, said cap having a V-groove formed diametrically across the upper surface thereof in alignment with said slot.

ROY E. GEARHART.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number .Name Date 462,147 Lighty Oct. 27, 1891 2,281,180 Christ Apr. 28, 1942 2,412,505 Gorka et al Dec. 10, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 234,572 Switzerland Feb. 1, 1945 

